Time of Trials
by Propagation-Ailes
Summary: When Fang returns to the Flock Max has to prove she still has what it takes to lead.
1. Chapter 1

I know this first chapter is short, I really just want to gauge your response to decide if I should continue or not. I haven't written in a long time and I'm really nervous but open to constructive criticism! Please read and review!

When you suffer a tremendous loss everything changes; the days drag and run together, empty, the sun doesn't shine quite as bright, the world doesn't spin quite the same. Now, when you suffer two tremendous losses in quick succession, that is when you get to the point I'm at.

Desolation. That's a pretty fancy word for a bird kid, I know, but recently it has been the only word I can find to describe just how I feel. _1. A state of complete emptiness or destruction. 2. Anguished misery or loneliness. "_Anguished misery" and "complete emptiness" seemed to be battling inside of me, and a small part of myself simply wanted the emptiness to win so I wouldn't have to feel anything anymore. I know I should be looking for Ella and my mom, but I just cant bring myself to even leave my bed. Not only was Fang still gone, but now Angel was too. And she wasn't coming back. You'd think in this kind of situation someone might cry or something, I mean, that must be the normal response, but for some reason I couldn't even bring myself to do that. All I could do was lay in bed. I couldn't sleep, I couldn't eat, I couldn't even freaking cry. The incredible Maximum Ride, barely more than a husk of a person withering away in bed. It was almost hotel room door groaned as it inched open and Dylan cautiously poked his head inside.

"Max?" He asked timidly. I turned to look at him, giving a slight nod of acknowledgement."We need to talk."

My mind was suddenly racing; Was Angel okau? Had Fang came back? Did they know where Ella was? "About what?" I replied, trying to sound stepped forward, gently shutting the door, then proceeded to sit on the edge of the bed. Only then did I notice the laptop tucked under his left arm."Everyone's worried.""What else is new?" I retorted. We had everything in the world to be worried about."No, Max. Look." He opened up the laptop and sat it on the bed in front of me. Fangs blog sprung up and Dylan scrolled down to recent comments.

As I read I began to get angry, these were obviously not from just any anonymous commenter.

**"Dear Fang, you need to go back to the Flock, they really need you."**

**"Max needs you right now, bad. Please go back to the flock."**

**"PLEASE HELP FANG. MAX IS IN TROUBLE."**

Then the last one that really set me off the edge:  
><strong>"Max isn't eating. She wont do anything. I don't know who she thinks this helps but I think you can help her. Please come back. If you don't, I'm scared she might die."<strong>

I reread that last line and my anger dissolved and then flared back up as incredible guilt. I glanced down at myself, I hadn't eaten in three days, and with a bird-kids metabolism it had already taken an enormous toll on my already slender body. I stared down at the pale skinned stretched over my hip-bones and felt hot tears welling in my eyes. I was scaring them. I was their leader and I was showing such incredible weakness that I was scaring them. Dylan broke my trail of thought. "Fang is coming." Excitement and fear boiled up inside me, quick as a flash. I would be with Fang, but how would he judge me? What if he and the others decided I wasn't fit to lead the Flock anymore? I had to be strong. I had to show him and the others I was not weak, that I could function. "Okay." I said in my steadiest voice, trying to sound like it didn't matter. I threw back the covers and headed for the bathroom. I needed to shower, I couldn't look like I'd been in bed for three days. I might even let Nudge do my hair. One thing was for certain though, when Fang got here it would appear as if absolutely nothing was wrong.

Sorry it's so short! I'm still trying to get a feel for writing again. If I continue the next chapter should be considerably longer. Please leave me suggestions! Thank you!


	2. Chapter 2

When I finally emerged from the shower, pruney and warm, I found Nudge waiting for me with a knowing smile.

"Dylan said you might require my assistance." I rolled my eyes as she winked, raising her precious bag of cosmetics. She braided my still-damp hair in the hopes of creating some natural waves, then instructed me to apply various lotions, creams, and chapsticks. "Now," She continued, "Fang wont be here until tomorrow so there's no point in doing you're make up now." She hesitated "Honestly, I don't see why exactly you're doing this. He liked you before, when you were covered in blood and dirt, I don't think make up is the key."

She thought I was doing this to make Fang like me! I almost laughed, but instead just shrugged. It was better that way; she didn't need to know about my insecurities as leader and how I thought my appearance showed weakness. She might as well believe I was doing this for some kind of romantic attention. That may be shameful, but at least it didn't illustrate just how vulnerable I really was.

I actually ate that night; we sprung for room service and it wasn't cheap, but the hamburger I ordered tasted like chalk in my mouth and I barely managed to get it down. I felt too full, disgusting even. A small part of me even wanted to run to the bathroom and let my body reject this precious food, but I resisted, I needed to eat, I needed to appear healthy and functioning.

The worst part of the night came when it was time to go to bed. Iggy and Dylan shared one of the beds in the hotel room, Nudge and Gazzy shared the pull-out on the couch, and I had shared my bed with Angel. But now I was alone. Dreadfully alone. The large bed screamed emptily at me and I found myself tossing and turning, resisting sleep. When I finally passed out due to sheer exhaustion I was tormented by terrible nightmares. Angle being blown apart graphically in front of me again and again, Fang sneering at me before turning and kissing Maya. Their arms wrapped intimately around each other and they began to elongate, twisting and morphing into twin cobras that hissed and snapped at me.

I awoke screaming in the dark hotel room, a warm hand on my sholder, trying to shake me awake. It was Dylan. He hushed me softly and gently stroked my hair. I found myself crying for the first time in days, and to my surprise, with it I found great relief. I felt, not well, but better. Not whole, but a little more alive, a little more myself. And for some reason when Dylan wrapped his arms around me and climbed into my bed I didn't stop him, but cuddled into his warmth and drifted into the best sleep I had had in a week.

But it didn't last.

I woke with a start. The room was dead silent for a moment… But then the quiet latch of the door and muffled foot steps on the carpet. I tensed, ready to fight, when I heard his voice.

_"You bastard!" _Fang bellowed before grabbing Dylan by the throat, yanking him out of my bed and slamming him hard against the wall.

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**Sorry it's short again! I'm still not completely sure about writing this, but please tell me what you think and let me know what you'd like to see! Thanks for reading and please review! xoxo**


	3. Chapter 3

**Thanks so much for reviewing guys! I'm starting to get more into the story so I wanted to update really soon, even though I didn't have that much to write for this chapter. I really hope you like it!**

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_"Stop it!" _I shrieked, the strangled sound of my voice surprising even myself.

Fang froze, then slowly turned to stare at me, his glare like ice. "Oh. I see how it is." His voice was calm, too calm. The kind of calm that only Fang could manage even at his most furious. He let go of Dylan in disgust, letting him slide to the floor, coughing. I sprung out of bed in a flash, throwing off my covers and rushing to Dylan's side.

"Are you okay?" I asked, nearly frantic, placing a gentle hand on his throat, which was already turning red. He gave me a slight nod and a weak smile before getting to his feet and pulling me along with him. I spun around to face Fang, "What the _hell?_What is wrong with you?" His expression barely flickered before he recomposed himself.

"I don't care what you do, but you don't need to have anything inappropriate going on in front of the kids. I wont let you pull that kind of bullshit."

"_Inappropriate?_ What in the world did you think was going on? We were sleeping! It was completely innocent!" I couldn't believe how much nerve he must have, trying to accuse me of doing something 'inappropriate' with Dylan in front of the rest of the flock, or at all for that matter. I wanted to just hit him.

"It didn't look innocent." Maya stepped forward calmly. I changed my mind; it was her I wanted to hit.

"Stay out of it." I growled.  
>"Why? Afraid of being wrong?" She snapped back with a catty smile.<p>

I smiled back, just as snidely, "I don't know, are you afraid of having your ass kicked?"

"Max!" Fang stepped quickly between us, "What's your freaking problem?" He moved back a step and put a protective arm around Maya's shoulder.  
>Well, for starters, Fang had kicked me to the curb, run off and then replaced me with a very irritating copy of myself, who he now felt the need to defend and push the hair out of her face like he used to do for me, and now he had his arm around her right in front of me, but I guess to put it simply it was just this;<p>

_"I loved you first!" _My voice was choked. Weak. Vulnerable. I spun on my heal and ran for the balcony, hurling myself into the air.


	4. Chapter 4

**I think I'm going to continue writing short chapters and just publish more frequently. I feel like that would be a lot easier for me and possibly more readable. Feel free to give me opinions and I hope you enjoy!  
><strong>

The air was crisp and cool as I flew through the night. Why is it that the people you trust the most have to be the ones to completely destroy you? This was like Jeb all over again… Except it wasn't; it was worse. Fang had been my best friend my entire life, I had known him like the back of my hand, and now it was as if we didn't know each other at all-just bitter enemies locked in some secret, malicious battle.

I remembered that night in the desert, where he held me as if I was all he had in the world. I remembered when he would look at me and actually crack one of those rare, Fang smiles. I remembered when he had pulled me against him as we watched fireworks. How could he just forget everything and move on like that? How was this so easy for him? He was the one person I had always believed in, always trusted, always loved. And for a short period of time I had thought it might actually work between us. Now nothing was the same.

The cold wind whipped away the bitter tears that had begun to roll steadily down my cheeks. I wanted to see him. I wanted to hold him and tell him how much I missed him. I just couldn't wrap my mind around it; how had he, with little to no effort, managed to get me eating right out of the palms of his hands? I licked my lips, which had begun to chap in the chill despite the chap stick Nudge had instructed me to apply. I had to let go. I couldn't let go. I wouldn't let go. I was going to hold onto him even if he wasn't going to hold onto me. I knew that in doing so, I was riding out a sinking ship as it lowered into an icey ocean, but it didn't matter; Fang was the most important thing to me and I couldn't let him go. I thought of my sweet, little Angel. She had been my baby, my everything, and she was gone now. I couldn't afford to lose Fang too. Whether he liked it or not, I couldn't let go.

I dropped down into a tree, choking on my tears. My body shook, convulsing involuntarily. Maya was just like me, just newer, cleaner, less damaged. He hands uncalloused, her heart a little more pure. She was me, just easier to love. But she wasn't me. She wasn't the person who had save Fangs life and been saved by him, she wasn't the girl who had displayed her bravery and loyalty for him for years, from coast to coast, in countries around the world. She wasn't the one he'd given a beautiful ring. She wasn't me. She wasn't Fang's Max. I had to have a chance. All of that couldn't have meant nothing. Or maybe it had. Why had I had to end up getting stuck to everything about him? His dark eyes burned into my memory, haunting. He'd torn my heart apart at the seams and never even looked back.

I wiped away the last of my tears and took off, heading back for the hotel; I couldn't avoid going back forever. As I got closer I noticed a figure waiting on the balcony. Fang? No, Dylan. He looked exhausted.

"Where are the others?" I asked as I landed, not seeing them through the balcony door.

"They went to their own room." He sighed. "Are you okay?"

I paused, unsure.

"I will be." I finally said, and I was confident in this. I will be okay. Maybe not happy, maybe not whole, but I would be okay. I would be okay knowing that I was trying. Knowing that I would still give everything I had to the person who I loved. I would be okay knowing I didn't waste our precious time together."Lets go to bed." Dylan said, having no idea what I had planned. He took my hand and led me to bed, climbing in with me once again. He placed his arm around me, but I did not turn into him this time. Instead I lay there staring at the ceiling, my thoughts haunted with memories of Fang, keeping me from sleep.

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**This chapter was a bit longer, I hope you liked it even though there wasn't much dialogue. Please review!**


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